Biography

Overview (3)

Mini Bio (2)

At the beginning of her career she played several roles at the Greek National Theatre with Katina Paxinou and Alexis Minotis. At the same time she appeared at several movies and she became a star, a protagonist at once. she creates her own personal groups and plays mostly comedy with (1960) great successs.In 1968 she gets married to Kostas Kazakos and they create their own group on stage. They stage plays of Albee (Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf) Ibsen (Hedda Gabler), and the ancient Greek tragics Sophocles (Electra, Oedipus Rex), Euripides (Medea). Her last appearence on stage was at Loula Anagnostakis (a female Greek author) play "Diamonds and Blues".

When Jenny Karezi died on 27 of July 1992 from cancer, she had 37 years of career in the cultural life of Greece under her belt; gaining massive popularity and critical acclaim.

Born in 1932 in North Greece, Jenny Karezi, was initially named Eygenia Karpoyzi. Her father was a mathematician and her mother a high school teacher. In Thessaloniki she studied in a private French school, which was under the direction of nuns. This was the reason that Jenny spoke the French language fluently. Her father left the family when she was a teenager, and she continued to live with her mother.

In 1951 Jenny was accepted in the state theatre school, named Ethniko, and her teachers were the important director Dimitris Rontiris and the author of classic novels and theatre plays Aggelos Terzakis.

Her first appearance in the theatre was in the theatre of the great actress Marika Kotopouli, together with Melina Mercouri and Vassilis Daiamantopoulosn in the French comedy, The beautiful Helen. She became an instant success. She continued starring in theatrical plays of Lorka, Shakespeare, Miller, Tolstoy and plays of Greek contemporary writers like Psatha, Fotiadi and Kampanelli.

Her first appearance in cinema was in the movie _Laterna ftoheia kai filotimo (1955)_, by Alekos Sakkelarios in 1955, which was a massive success. Her films of the period were also popular, like the sequel to her first movie, _Laterna ftoheia kai garyfallo (1957)_ in 1957, _Nisi ton genaion, To (1959)_ in 1959, where she sang one song of the Oscar winner Hadjidakis, a classic one named 'Mi ton rotas ton ourano' - Do not ask the sky. (Later this song was sung by Brenda Lee under the title 'All alone am I', and was a success in USA and Europe).

Her career continued to flourish in the 60s, in 1962 she married a journalist named Zaxos Hadjifotiou. But this marriage did not last for many years. During the following years Jenny starred in many successful films like Ta kokkina fanaria (1963) in 1963, which was nominated for a foreign Oscar, Lola (1964) in 1964, Mia trelli... trelli oikogeneia (1965) in 1965, Jeni - Jeni (1966)_ in 1966.

During the filming of her next film, Kontserto gia polyvola (1967) in 1967, she met Kostas Kazakos, the love of her life as she continuously said. Together they formed a popular duo and Jenny changed her theatre career to more sophisticated and intellectual plays. In 1973 they produced the play To megalo mas tsirko - Our great circus, which was humiliating the Greek dictatorship (1967-1974), and for this reason they spend several nights in prison. During these years Jenny gave birth to her only child. Kostas Kazakos.

Jenny continued to produce and star in difficult plays in the following decades, like Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf in 1982, directed by Jules Dassin, Medea of Eyripidis in 1985, Hlektra of Sophocles in 1987. Her last appearance in film was in her production of Lysistrati (1972) in 1972, which was a commercial flop. During her 33 films she was the only 'enemy' of Aliki Vougiouklaki, who was the most popular star of Greek films, but they followed the same paths in life, and they had the same end as they were attacked by cancer.

Jenny appeared for the last time in theatre in 1990 in the Greek play, 'Lula Anagnostaki, Diamantia kai mlouz', Diamonds and blues. Meanwhile she suffered from cancer, was in terrible pain and she had to stop her appearances in order to continue with her treatment. Jenny died on 27 July 1992. Her family founded the foundation Jenny Karezi, for the people who suffer great pains from cancer.